The slow whistle from the new turbo engines is like a gentle wind in a forest but in Albert Park on Friday evening the sound also represented a sigh of relief from Formula One itself. The noise of the cars on the opening weekend of the season was not enough to disturb the black swans on the large lake that sits inside the Melbourne circuit.

The sound was the one disappointment, especially coming after the wonderful V10s and last year's V8s that could be heard clearing their throats during the demonstration of historical cars that is part of the buildup to the Australian Grand Prix.

Otherwise, the two practice sessions were something of a triumph, disappointing only those who had gathered to witness the mayhem that was widely predicted following the introduction of the most complex rule changes F1 has ever seen.

Mayhem may yet be round the corner, for it will be some time before the technology, which includes an engine change from 2.4 litre V8s to 1.6 litre V6 turbos, is fully mastered.

The teams, with the exceptions of Lotus and Caterham, will go into Sunday's race with a fragile confidence, buoyed by the brazen notion that they might actually get through the 58 laps in one piece.

All were delighted by the number of laps they covered, especially in the less-nervous afternoon session. There were fewer mishaps than almost anyone anticipated.

The race director, Charlie Whiting, has discussed the possibility of not one car finishing the grand prix, and the absurd possibility of cancelling an event in which no one was taking part.

Paddy Lowe, Mercedes' executive director, predicted there will be eight finishers and many have suggested that about half the field will be cut down.

If the two practice runs represented good news for the teams it was no less so for the spectators. The low downforce of these cars lends them a skittish quality; they hang on to the track and no longer give the appearance that they are running on rails. Overall, they are slower but it is expected that in the course of the season they will be quicker on certain circuits.

This brave new world may not be as brave as all that. The first five places on Friday were filled by four world champions while the demise of Red Bull may have been wildly exaggerated. They are still behind Mercedes in terms of pace but they were delighted with the number of long runs they put together.

Daniel Ricciardo went round 38 times in the afternoon, making it an above-race distance 64 laps for the day, and Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth second time out, did 41 laps for a total of 51.

Christian Horner was left beaming. "It's been our first proper test day of the season," the Red Bull team principal said. "We got our first proper feel for the car. We can still see there is quite a gap between us and Mercedes and Ferrari but we're beginning to realise what that gap is."

If Red Bull win the title again after all this kerfuffle there will be many disappointed F1 fans but first they must overcome a Mercedes team in whom they might see a reflection of themselves a few years ago. Mercedes are determined to win the championship this year, whatever it takes.

The practice sessions went some way to underpinning the perception that 2014 will be all about Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who finished first and second in the later outing. In first practice Hamilton lasted only one lap before his Mercedes came to a stop, shut down because of an oil-pressure sensor. He was then stopped by a security official from entering the paddock because he had forgotten his pass. In the second session, on soft tyres, he pushed Rosberg into second place.

"I felt very comfortable out there," Hamilton said. "I felt I had a good understanding of what was going on."

His former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button was a little more forthcoming about Mercedes' advantage. "I think everyone's about a second off them, they're very quick," he said. "It's a little bit surprising that they are much quicker than everyone else. That includes the Williams, which looks a bit of a handful to drive in high-speed corners, which is a surprise as well."

Button was second and fifth but the McLaren is fundamentally too slow at this stage. Fernando Alonso was first and third for Ferrari but the prevailing colour going into the Australia Grand Prix is silver, not red.

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